Interlocking apparatus for railroad signals and switches



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attains Pair nur @trice Y, UF LONG lflln-ill Cl'lY, NEW YORK.

INTERLOCKING APPARATUS FOR RAILROAD SlGilALS AND SWITCHES.

SPECXFCATICGN forming part of Letters Patent No. 398,766, dated February 26, 1889.'

Be it kno-.vn that l, 'Fi-iones WinLiAMBUi-- LEY, of Long island (ity, in the county of Queens and State ot' New York, have invented an Improvement in interlocking Amiaratus vfor YRailroad Signals and riwitelies; and the following is declared to be a l'till and complete description ol' the saine.

In modern and improved railway systems it is usual to employ at intersections and branches of a road systems oi' switches and signals for the management and protection ol' trains. This becomes necessary and e."- Sential to prevent accidents occurring and loss of lite, and these devices as heretofore employed have consisted in series ol' levers grouped together at a com mon point and operated from that point for setting the signals and moving the switches, and thus control ling the movements ot ineoinin and mitgoing trains.

The object ol' my invention is to prevent the setting ol signals before the setting of the switches, and to so interlock the signals when set that the switch must he reset before the signals can be'returned to a normal position.

My improvement consists in the combination, with the usual pivoted lever operated by hand and the mechanism connecting the same to a switch or distant signal, of pivoted segments and locking-bars connected therewith, which bars move through the frame of the lock-box and operatie 'the devices, hereinafter described, by which. such bars and segments, as well the operating-levers, are locked or unlocked in series, the interlocking bars being actuated either by the pivoted lever alone operated by the hand, or by the pivoted lever and pivoted. segment operated by the hand and i'oot.

In the drawings, Figure l a side elevation of my improved interlocking device. Fig. 2 is an elevation of one end of the same.

Fig. 3 is a separate elevation, in larger size, of the lock-box trame and interlocking levers in their normal position; and Fig. -lis a similar view with the parte locked.

,ion tiled May 28,1888. Serial No, 275,266x tllomofleld ruiming to a switch or distant signal, andthe lever o also passes through the trame portion A', which may represent the tloor of the signal-station. Connected to this .tloor A are the segments and there is one ot' these segments` t) for each one ot the levers @and there is a pivot at l upon abracket fastened to the 'trame or upon one segment l), to which the swingi ng lever-segment f/ is pivoted, and upon one side ot the segment d is a rib or iiange, d. Connected to the lever o is a pivoted handle, o, rod c, spring c', and upon the end of the rod c is a slotted bolt, v2, the rod c passing through the frame c upon the lever o, and the spring e' surrounding the rod c and located between the opposite ends ot the frame c3, the slotted end ot the bolt c? passing around the flange d otf the segment d, and there are notches at 2 in the segment l) adapted to receive the end of the slotted bolt ci?. In either extreme position ot the lever d the spring c presses the slotted bolt cl down into either notch Q, and as the upper edge ot the slotted bolt is over and bears against the top edge of the flange d the action ot the spring c will thus move the segment d down at either end.

B represents the lock-box frame, and the same is connected to and supported upon the frame A and set at an inclination, preferably as shown in Fig. l, and passing' vertically through said lock-box frame are locking-bars e e and passing' horizontally through said frame B, between the ribs thereof, are the sliding bars fjf?, and pivotally connected with each of "the locking-bars at their lower ends, e e', is a swinging segment, d, pivoted to a segment l) and associated with the lever o, and I prefer to group the segments and levers in series of four, as shown in Figs. and l of the drawings, these devices 'forming the operating and holding mechanisms for a switch and the signals that govern the same.

Upon the locking-bar c, Fig. 3, l rivet an inclined rib, 71.', and upon the sliding barf, I rivet the beveled lugs 71vv and the dogs z', and the bevel-ended bolt-bars 7c it rest upon the sliding bar fi and in t-he position shown in The lever ci is ot' 'the usual character einployed in similarinterlockin g mechanism, and

the same is pivoted at its lower end in the frame A, which end of this L-shaped levery has connected to it a rod, A?, or other device detection bars e.

Fi 3, wherein the locking-bars e e are marked Distant,7 Mainj Detection,"` and cSw-itch. These bolt-bars 7l; are shown with their beveled ends engaging notches in thedistant and TOO B, set at a slight inclination from the Vertical yated ends passing over the edges oll the bars line thelockin 'bars e e moving u through 7 h 7 o b the same, the horizontal sliding bars ff f2, the beveled lugs 71` upon the upper face ofthe bars f, t-he ribs 71. upon the bars e, and dogs t' l upon the bars f and adapted to engage notches in the bars e', and mechanism, substantially as specified, for operating the bars e e', substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, in an interlocking appai'ati1s,\vith the pivoted levers a and the frame to which the same are connectethof the 1 lock-box frame B, set at a slight inclination from the Vertical line, the locking-bars c e',

moving up through the same, the horizontal sliding' bars f f f2, the beveled lugs 7i, ribs h, and dogs y2', the bolt-bars it' t, the interi, locking bars nl Z l? Z3, and the interlocking` bolts ym m m?, and mechanism,substantially as specified, for operating the bars c e', substantially as set forth.

The combination7 in an interlocking apparatus, with the pivoted levers a and the frame to which the same are connected, of the lock-box frame B, set at a slight inclination Q- i'rom the vertical line, the locking-bars e e', moving up through the saine, and the hori- Zontal sliding bars f f2, moving through the grooves of the same, the interlocking bars Z l tl. Z2 l, connected upon the faces of the bars e e and notched at convenient places, the intei-locking bolts m m m2, riveted upon one of the slidinglmrs f', and havingbeveled ele- I of the slidingbars f, the ribs 71, on one or more of the locking bars, the pivoted swinging ribbed segments d, to the slotted ends of which the lower ends of the locking-bars are directly pivoted, and mechanism, substantially as specified, for moving one of the locking-bars,

and by said rib 7L shifting the sliding bars,

substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, in an interlocking apparatus, with t-he pivoted levers a and the frame to which the same are connected, of the lockbox frame B, the locking-bars e e', moving up through the same, the horizontal sliding bars ff f2, the interlocking bars Z Z Z2 Z3, and the interlocking bolts -m m m2, and mechanism, substantially as specified, for operating the locking and sliding bars, substantially as set forth.

Signed by me this 22d day of Hay, A. D. 1888.

T. NV. BURLEY.

Witnesses:

Guo. T. PINCKNEY, WILLIAM G. Morr.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. C. C. BURMEISTER.

MOTOR.' No. 398,767. Patented Feb. 26, 1889.

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